Amid the panic about the spread of the novel Coronavirus disease, Researchers at the University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research have said that a cure for the disease is possible.
Since being detected last December in Wuhan, China, the COVID-19 coronavirus has rapidly spread around the world, infecting more than 140,000 people to date.
The researchers claim that a cure is possible, pointing to two existing drugs, Chloroquine and Lopinavir, currently used to treat malaria and HIV respectively, but could be used to treat patients with coronavirus.
According to Professor David Paterson , who is leading the research, the drugs have already been shown to wipe out the virus in test tubes.
Speaking to news.com.au , he explained: “It’s a potentially effective treatment. Patients would end up with no viable coronavirus in their system at all after the end of therapy.”
The researchers now hope to carry out a clinical study across Australia to test the effects of the drugs on patients.
He added: “What we want to do at the moment is a large clinical trial across Australia, looking at 50 hospitals, and what we’re going to compare is one drug, versus another drug, versus the combination of the two drugs.”
The clinical trial could start enrolling patients by the end of this month, according to Professor Paterson.
Chinese patients infected with coronavirus have already been given the HIV drug, with promising initial results.
